Fleur Webb
Hand EMbroidery
Royal School of Needlework
Graduates: 2024
Specialisms: Embroidery / Textile Innovation/Textile Art / Contemporary Craft
My location: London, United Kingdom
Fleur Webb
First Name: Fleur
Last Name: Webb
University / College: Royal School of Needlework
Course / Program: Hand EMbroidery
Graduates: 2024
Specialisms: Embroidery / Textile Innovation/Textile Art / Contemporary Craft
My Location: London, United Kingdom
Website: Click To See Website
About
For as long as I can remember my hand embroidery practice has explored contrasting elements of beauty, femininity and vulgarity. I delve into the contemporary and controversial with keen interest, often conducting social commentary through my mixed media stitching. I established these beliefs on the grounds of rebelling against traditional beauty standards asking the question: who truly defines what is beautiful or vulgar? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and vulgarity is no different. I have therefore gained an amount of satisfaction in attempting to advocate, radiate and create both beauty and vulgarity in the way I know best: hand embroidery. Embroidering beautifully meaningful pieces with a balance of both physical and internal beauty is where you’ll find me at my happiest. My inspiration derives from nature and the organic forms it provides in both botanical and human anatomy, combined with otherworldly surrealism. This influence is credited to my connection with the natural world through my hometown in the New Forest, Hampshire; where both sea and earth collide.
Fields of EveryWhen was a collaborative project with artists Neil Musson and Jono Retallick, the Royal School of Needlework and other artisans. My response to the story "Losing Children on Festival Day" using hand embroidery and textile techniques, was printed onto a hot air balloon along with a number of other stories from the residents of Thamesmead, and flown over the area in the summer of 2022. This was a truly beautiful project to be a part of, and I hold it a a highlight in my collaborative experiences. "Losing Children on Festival Day" was a tale of twin girls getting lost on Thamesmead's annual festival day. I wanted to capture the obliviousness the girls had for the panic and worry they were causing their mother by wondering off, instead replacing this with the magic and joy of the event. I represented this through bright colours and fun textures, alongside the fairy wings (one wing each symbolising their closeness as twins). On a personal note, my mum is an identical twin so this was a deeply personal response for me as well. All photographs are taken by me unless stated otherwise. © Fleur Webb August 2022